Jahvid Best back in familiar territory for NFL Players Rookie Premiere

View full sizeMichael Schottey | Special to MLive.comDetroit Lions rookie running back Jahvid Best, front, gets to practice his autograph at the NFL Players Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles.
The Detroit Lions are counting on Jahvid Best being hard to find and even harder to bring down in 2010.

General Manager Martin Mayhew traded up for Best, knowing he was a favorite of the coaching staff and a valuable asset to place with quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

This week, however, the entire league knows exactly where Best will be – at the NFL Rookie Symposium in Los Angeles.

Each year, members of the rookie class assemble in one locale to sign a truckload of merchandise and shoot pictures for sports cards and other memorabilia. This year, 35 of the most marketable rookies gathered. including the Lions' two first-round picks: defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and Best.

Despite a hectic schedule, Best took some time out to chat about the event, as well as his burgeoning NFL career.

He is more than happy to be back in Southern California for the rookie premiere and said it was nice to be on his old stomping grounds, which allowed him to show the other rookies around and act as one of the group's de facto tour guides.

Best described his duties as mostly "signing stuff," but admitted he was having fun even though he was busy.

It's a lot more relaxed than the draft process, when these same players are competition. Months ago, Best probably wouldn't have gone out bowling with Ben Tate and the other running backs in the draft, but at the NFL Players Rookie Premiere, there's no more pressure.

Speaking of pressure, Jahvid Best doesn't really feel it. He's Southern California cool, and as laid back as they come. As of now, he hasn't run into any friction with the Lions veterans and coaching staff.

Best knows his fellow Lions running backs really well, but that's about it, as most of his time at Allen Park has been spent in the meeting room.

He had a much-publicized conversation with third-year back Kevin Smith (who was more than gracious to the rookie) but Best has spent a lot of time talking with veteran Maurice Morris.

"That's someone I could see myself being real cool with," he said.

Though he's only had a short conversation with Stafford, Best called Detroit's quarterback "a nice guy."

He's been surprised at the lack of hazing – although that may come with training camp.

Off the football field, Best is just settling into his new Detroit-area condo. It is the only thing substantial he's bought with his newfound wealth. He isn't really into bling and hopefully knows enough about Detroit not to buy any expensive foreign cars.

He says he likes Detroit and says that it reminds him a lot of Southern California and chucked when he was reminded the weather might not be quite so similar in a few months.

He said everyone he's met, both on the team and in public has been really friendly – "just like back home in the Bay Area."

Success is not getting to his head.

As for on-the-field matters, Best constantly talks up the importance of team and his teammates.

Refusing to talk about his contributions to this upcoming season, he chose instead to talk about the importance of gelling as a team and getting that all-important chemistry with one another.

The coaching staff hasn't given him too much indication of how exactly they plan to use him but he will lobby to be on special teams of one kind or another.

But Best doesn't like being pigeonholed or typecast into any specific role. "I see myself as a complete running back," he explained.

Best also doesn't worry about any transition to the NFL. He has the playbook and was planning to study it any moment he had downtime over the premiere weekend.

"Football is football," Best said. "Looking at the playbook, I see a lot of the same stuff we had at Cal – just gotta learn the terminology, just gotta learn some new formations – but football is football, and running the ball is running the ball."